Stormers Boks unlikely to face Munster

The DHL Stormers return home from their three-match tour to face Munster and Glasgow Warriors in what coach John Dobson agrees could be a defining fortnight in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship season after his team failed to hit target overseas.

Dobson appeared frustrated when he fronted the media after his team’s 38-7 loss, something that should have been attributed to two things - firstly, his team undeniably conspired against themselves by departing from script and placing too much emphasis on flash, and secondly he probably knows that without the role of refereeing incompetence, they would have still won.

Of course, being a coach, and thus liable to fork out hefty wads of cash if he is seen to criticise the sacred cows of rugby, he had to choose his words carefully. If he hadn’t, there should have been several expletives in his description of the impact referee Ben Whitehouse had on his team’s performance. Instead he tried to take the middle lane, while not leaving listeners in any doubt that he was unhappy.

“We gave away some penalties that we are going to have to look at to understand, especially around the scrums,” said Dobson.

“I don’t understand how we didn’t get scrum advantages before halftime. I could go on, but I will keep it in-house.”

SECOND GAME WHERE REF PLAYED A ROLE

He spoke about the penalty count being a record against the Stormers in the URC, and while said his team needed to improve discipline, he was clearly wanting clarity on what a lot of the penalties were for. When the Stormers lost their opening game on tour to the Ospreys, it was a similar story around scrum penalties in particular, and assistant coach Rito Hlungwani later confirmed that in enquiries made to the URC, it was confirmed that the Stormers had a right to feel aggrieved.

That was a close game so it is reasonable to assume that had the calls gone the way they should have, and Hlungwani said there were four, it could have been a different result. And while there were 31 points separating Edinburgh from the Stormers by the end of the game, the same can be said of this most recent clash, for Whitehouse’s most damning and inexplicable error came in the 58th minute, when the game was still close.

Edinburgh were leading 14-7 but the Stormers had momentum and had had two tries disallowed on a night where most of the 50/50 calls went against them. The Stormers were on the attack when an Edinburgh hand blatantly shovelled a ball back from a ruck to secure the turnover.

What should have been a penalty for the Stormers in an attacking position led to a counter-attack from Edinburgh and the transferral of pressure led to Edinburgh scoring the try that took them more than a score ahead. The Stormers only had themselves to blame for the way their heads appeared to drop after that, and throughout the game they did not value their possession enough, but that refereeing error was the killer.

DOBSON REMAINS UPBEAT

For all that, Dobson made a good show of being upbeat, and pointed out that getting one win from three games on tour was better than last year’s no wins from four. What he didn’t point out was that last year’s tour happened after two games in South Africa where the Stormers got full points in both, and it is that fact that makes the next two games so important.

“The next two games are important. We’ve got the 2023 champions Munster and then then last year’s champions, the Glasgow Warriors. If we can get some of our fizz back at home, we will be okay for the rest of the season,” said the Stormers coach.

“While we only got one win from three on tour, it doesn’t feel like last season. The key for us is the next two home games. If we can get those next two, we will be alive and kicking. There is a little bit of pressure in that respect, but it doesn’t feel like last year.”

The one thing the Stormers won’t have to face at DHL Stadium is the 16th man to play against, and if the URC trend is stuck to, that will be in the Stormers’ favour as referees in this competition appear incredibly weak and react to crowd noise (watch the game between the Bulls and Ospreys for an example of that).

But what the Stormers also won’t have for the crucial first home game is their absent Springboks. Apart from the players who are crocked, and that appears to now include Salmaan Moerat in addition to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Steven Kitshoff and Evan Roos, the likes of Manie Libbok and Frans Malherbe have been given three weeks off in line with Bok resting protocols.

“There aren’t that many Boks left who are still fit, but those that are will probably be back for the game after Munster, the one against Glasgow Warriors, as they’ve been given a block of three weeks off,” said the Stormers coach.